2001 Holiday Letter

Happy Holidays

This year we added two baby girls to our family. In June, both of us (along with Tony's mother) traveled to China to pick up little Helen Zi Yi. Of course, Jolene burst into blubbery tears as the moment arrived, but Helen was quite calm. In fact, she was the only little girl in the group (we went with 9 other families to Hubei province) who didn't raise a big fuss over leaving her caretakers. Or, maybe that's just the way we choose to remember it. In any case, Helen is now 17 months old and her curiosity and enthusiasm have required us to put child guards on everything, including the bathroom doors (she's been known to bust in on unsuspecting guests). Tony is very proud of her skills with the remote control - she already knows how to change the channels and adjust the volume.

Grace was born on October 11. Tony was pretty cool in the delivery room, reading the Sporting News in between Jolene's pushes and helping out as best he could (i.e. staying out of the way). After a car accident and ten extra days of pregnancy, Jolene was relieved that the whole process was finally ending. But when Grace popped out, it is safe to say that we were both astonished at how large she was (8 lbs. 6 oz. and 21.25 inches). We immediately went out to get her fitted for some shoulder pads and a helmet. She continues to grow - she even has more chins than Tony - and we've all enjoyed her early attempts at singing. Tony worries somewhat that she looks too much like him and will be "playing singles" well into retirement, but most everyone else agrees she looks just fine.

Jolene has taken time off work to stay home and bond with the girls and plans to do some freelance marketing for her company (in her spare time, somewhere between midnight and 4 a.m.) for at least the next few months. Taking care of three babies full-time has taken a lot out of her, so she is looking forward to eventually returning to work.

After several weekends with the girls, Tony is starting to understand why nothing seems to get done around the house anymore, but he still insists that caps be put back on pens. And he'd rather dry clean his liver than change diapers, but he's managed to change a couple (maybe three) in the last six months - hey he's learning. As for his job, Tony continues to work hard, although (as you well know) this is against his nature. After all, it costs money to send two girls to medical school.

Big thanks to both our moms for chipping in to help get us through the last six months with our sanity intact (that's a judgement call). We're looking forward to 2002 and seeing our babies grow. And even better if the Pack makes the Super Bowl. We would love to hear from all of you. Enjoy the holidays and have a safe, rewarding 2002.